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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. scale — in music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — a container
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com